Last held in the year 2016, Uganda comes after Kenya to host Africa’s biggest Entertainment iconic Awards – the MTV Base Africa Music Awards in the Eastern part of Africa.
Uganda’s Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities has taken an extra milestone to market destination Uganda both on the Continent and at Global level through the biggest Music Awards on motherland Africa this time held in the only Pearl Of Africa – Uganda, as labeled by Winston Churchill centuries ago.
The announcement was made during a virtual press conference held at Mestil Hotel and Residences in Nsambya on Wednesday November 25th through a panel of discussion hosted by TV Host Douglas Lwanga as the panel comprised; The State Minister for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Hon. Godfrey Kiwanda Ssuubi, Uganda Tourism Board CEO – Ms Lilly Ajarova, Uganda’s music icons Bebe Cool and Sheebah Karungi.
The iconic awards will showcase African Talent and Creativity come February 20th 2021 as they will host a variety of musicians from across the African Continent and also attract global attention as all International and local Media will focus particularly on destination Uganda hence a great platform to market Uganda’s Tourism to the World.
Before the official Awards ceremony, the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities together with Uganda Tourism Board will embark on Country wide activations as different musicians from across Africa and Uganda in particular will traverse the different National Parks and all Tourist sites and attractions while they share their experiences on the different Social Media and main stream media platforms.
The Iconic MTV Base celebration, MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA) showcase the ultimate African culture, music, and creativity and this year round given the existence of the Coronavirus pandemic – the Awards will be held in a re-imagined virtual format in Uganda as the venue will host limited numbers as advised by Uganda’s Ministry of Health and Government of Uganda while others will watch The MTV Africa Music Awards Kampala 2021 as they broadcast on MTV Base (DStv Channel 322) and MTV (DStv Channel 130). The repeat show will also be aired on BET Africa, BET International and MTV channels across multiple continents as a one-hour MAMA-themed MTV World Stage feature.
The ultimate celebration of local African and international talent and achievement, MAMA 2021, in partnership with Uganda, The Pearl of Africa, recognizes and rewards musicians, trailblazers and those who are shining a light on the continent’s diverse talent and creativity by instilling positive impact on African music and youth culture over the previous year. The awards ceremony will feature vibrant performances from leading African and international artists and will also showcase some of the biggest cross-genre and cross-border collaborations.
The event will celebrate African talent across 20 award categories, including Best Male, Best Female, Best Song, and Best Collaboration. The contribution of artists from Portuguese and French-speaking Africa will also be recognized in the Best Lusophone and Best Francophone categories. Additional new categories included are the MAMA Generation Change Award, Best Fan Base, Alone Together Best Lock-down Performance and Personality of the Year. These new categories seek to demonstrate MTV Base’s commitment to supporting the youth of Africa.
The MAMA Generation Change Award will recognize the inspiring, young changemakers of the continent who are tackling some of the world’s most challenging social problems. The Alone Together Best Lock-down Performance recognizes outstanding performances that took place virtually by celebrating artists who took to streaming services to share their music and unite society during the unprecedented 2020 Lockdown. The category selection criteria is from October 1st 2019 to October 1st 2020. The nominees will be announced in December 2020 and music lovers will have their say by voting for their favourite stars online.
During the Virtual press conference broadcast on Wednesday from Johannesburg and Kampala by Monde Twala and Craig Paterson, Senior Vice Presidents and General Managers at Viacom CBS Networks Africa (VCNA).
Monde Twala, Senior Vice President & General Manager, VCNA commented that; “It is an incredible honour to announce that the seventh MTV Africa Music Awards Kampala 2021 will be hosted by the vibrantly diverse Uganda, The Pearl of Africa for the first time on February 20th, 2021. We are excited to bring this amazing showcase to audiences across the continent and globally with an innovatively re-imagined awards show and celebration. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, content production has embraced innovation as the new gold and we are excited to take Africa to the World and showcase its immense talent and culture as we stage the biggest music awards show on the continent.”
The Honourable Godfrey Kiwanda, State Minister for Tourism Uganda commented, “It is an incredible achievement for Uganda to host the continent and International stakeholders for the MAMA Kampala 2021 for the first time. The awards are an extraordinary African cultural experience, and we understand the important role it plays in driving awareness, cross culture education and profiling the continent’s rich leisure tourism offerings on the international stage.”
“This is a wonderful opportunity for global audiences to experience Uganda’s magnificence, the profusion of brilliant life and diverse natural wildlife, and the vast scale of entertainment, events, art, culture, cuisine, history and shopping. We are also so proud to be able to highlight Uganda’s musical richness and give our talented artists the opportunity to showcase their immense talent, and the diversity of Uganda’s sounds, to music fans beyond this continent. This is indeed a momentous occasion for audiences to experience Uganda as truly “the Pearl of Africa”.”
The MTV Africa Music Awards Kampala 2021 is brought to you by Uganda, The Pearl of Africa in an effort to promote tourism, wildlife and cultural heritage conservation for the socio-economic development and transformation of Uganda. Sustainable tourism, wildlife and cultural heritage will contribute to transforming Uganda into a modern and prosperous nation.
Craig Paterson, Senior Vice President & General Manager, VCNA, continued, “The latest edition of the MAMA promises to be our biggest and most innovative yet. Millions of fans worldwide will enjoy the digitally re-imagined celebration and African music via multiple broadcasts globally. We are excited to partner with Uganda to bring viewers a unique format and experience that positions Africa’s diverse heritage and digital innovation.”
Always celebrating the pan-African scope of the MAMA, the awards will encompass three pulsating Road to MAMA broadcasts featuring MAMA nominees from across the continent. The MAMA Kampala 2021 brings the much-anticipated music industry workshops in a virtual format for the continent’s aspiring musicians, youth upskilling and development.
First staged in 2008, the MTV Africa Music Awards has recognised the talent of musicians, achievers and personalities from across Africa, rewarding iconic artists and gamechangers such as 2Face Idibia, AKA, Anselmo Ralph, Big Nuz, Cassper Nyovest, Clarence Peters, Cabo Snoop, Davido, D’Banj, Diamond Platnumz, Flavour, Gangs of Ballet, HHP, Fally Ipupa, Liquideep, Lira, Lupita Nyong’o, Mafikizolo Nameless, P-Square, Sarkodie, Tiwa Savage, Toofan, Trevor Noah, Uhuru, Wahu, Wizkid, Yemi Alade, Zebra & Giraffe and many more.
MAMA 2021 Award Categories
1. Best Female
2. Best Male
3. Best Group
4. Best Breakthrough Act
5. Best Collaboration
6. Best Hip Hop
7. Best Alternative
8. Best Ugandan Act
9. Best Lusophone Act
10. Best Francophone Act
11. Best International Act
12. Video of the Year
13. Song of The Year
14. Artist of the Year
15. Alone Together Lockdown Performance
16. Listeners Choice
17. Best Fan-Base Award
18. Personality of the Year
19. MAMA Legend Award
20. MAMA Generation Change Award
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